Everton’s James Rodríguez has been in the headlines as his future with the Merseyside club continues to be uncertain.
Prior to the Toffees’ weekend clash against Leeds United, the 30-year-old admitted he didn’t know who Everton were playing, which angered the club’s supporters.
Rafael Benítez has not included the midfielder in his squad for the first three matches of this season and there have been various reports suggesting the Colombia international is not in the manager’s plans at Goodison Park.
Colombia take on Bolivia, Paraguay and Chile in World Cup qualifiers in September and manager Reinaldo Rueda left the former Real Madrid man out of his squad for the upcoming international fixtures, even before it was announced Premier League clubs won’t release players.
Ramón Jesurún, the president of the Colombian Football Federation has now insisted Rodríguez was dropped due to sporting reasons. He also urged the Everton player to sort out his future as quickly as possible.
“Nothing other than pushing for James to get back to his rhythm of play. I am not very aware of where he will play this season. We hope he fixes it,” Jesurún told Blu Radio, as relayed by Gol Caracol.
“He is a very important person, a great footballer and one who enjoys the appreciation of the coaching staff. The issue of the call up is the decision of the coaching staff.
“Hopefully James can resolve his future. There have never been vetoes for anyone, the 50 million Colombians are eligible to be in the Colombian Selection. The channel has always been open.”
